I closed the door of my bedroom behind me and flopped face down on my bed.
'What. The. Heck.'
I flipped over onto my back.
'What just happened?' I asked Ash, staring up at the ceiling.
'We found our mate,' she practically sang.
I rolled my eyes. At least one of us was happy about our situation.
'What is he?'
I could tell she was contemplating that.
'Well,' she started. 'He's not a wolf.'
'Thank you, Captain Obvious.'
After a short silence, she spoke again.
'I think he's definitely a vampire, but there's something else there too. Otherwise, he couldn't be our mate.'
'Yeah,' I agreed, 'but what?'
Her lack of a response echoed my own confusion. The guy had us both stumped. Whatever he was, I hoped that his first impression wasn't an indication of his true personality. I don't think I would handle that well.
~~~
After a fitful night, I made my way down to the kitchen. I was too early for breakfast and my family wouldn't be down for another half an hour, but I desperately needed some coffee.
I pushed open the door to the kitchen and was greeted by Murielle's ever-present cheerfulness. She glanced over, not surprised to see me.
"Good morning, deary!"
"Howya¹, Murielle!" Her attitude was contagious and I immediately felt better. My mood was lightened even more by the cuppa² that she'd already placed on the counter for me. Like I said, she was never surprised to see me. I sat down at a stool and nursed my coffee while I watched her bustle around the kitchen.
I'd only been there a few minutes when she placed another mug on the island beside me. I furrowed my brows in confusion and she nodded toward the doors behind me just before I heard them open. I turned, expecting to see Amon, but was greeted by those bright green eyes.
He paused, noticing my shocked expression, and spoke before I could even gather a thought.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know how breakfast was done here or what was expected of me, so I thought I'd ask the cook." He shifted his gaze to Murielle, giving me time to collect myself. "You must be the artiste behind all of the wonderful smells."
Murielle paused, placing her hand on her hip. "Boyo, flattery will get you far in this kitchen."
He grinned, his fangs making an appearance, before he quickly covered his mouth with his hand and glanced at me. If Murielle noticed, she didn't show it. She simply gestured at the mug on the counter and told him to take a seat. As he did, I wondered why he'd done that. The reason alluded me until Ash spoke.
'He saw you flinch at them last night.' Her tone was accusing and the reality of what I'd done hit me like a ton of bricks.
I'd shown disapproval at something my mate couldn't even control. Being frightened of his actions was one thing, but I'd made him self-conscious about something that he was completely unable to change. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked over to apologize. The words escaped me, though, when I saw him staring at my lips. I felt my cheeks grow warm and I knew that they were changing color.
I bit my lip in embarrassment and I saw him swallow hard. Now it was my turn to be self-conscious as my face grew even warmer. His eyes found mine and he froze. He turned his head to face his mug and muttered a quiet "sorry" before going silent.
We spent the next few minutes in silence, while I studied him out of the corner of my eye, trying not to get caught. He'd taken a shower since last night and, with the dirt and grime gone, his scent was nice and strong. He smelled of cedar and smoke, like a campfire, and I loved it. There was still that wolf-like smell that I couldn't place, and the distinctly vampire scent, but both were laced with the campfire scent.
He was very handsome. Usually, I wasn't a fan of facial hair, but I found the stubble along his strong jawline very attractive. His wavy hair was just long enough to curl around his ear and was either very dark brown, or black. I'd be able to tell for sure in the sunlight. He had wide shoulders and I couldn't help but imagine how it would feel to have his strong arms around me.
'Mmm.' Ash hummed at the thought. 'He does look delicious.'
I chuckled and Domenic looked over at me. Oops. That wasn't supposed to be aloud. When my cheeks tinged pink, he smiled and I felt butterflies take flight in my stomach.
I knew that the matebond was at work, making me feel things that I'm sure I wouldn't normally feel, but wasn't going to complain about that. I still wanted to get to know him better before our relationship progressed though. I could tell that he was being genuine in his affections, but I could sense impatience in him and that he was trying to either hide it or control it. Until I figured out which, I wasn't going to be rooting my affections too deep.
Ash scoffed. 'As if you can help that.'
I ignored her as Domenic stood up and took his mug to the sink. Just as I heard the clink of the mug meeting the surface of the sink, the kitchen doors banged open. I turned to see Finn and Maeve charging at me.
"Oh my goddess!" Finn screamed. He grabbed my face in his hands and twisted my head from side to side, checking for a mate mark on my neck. When didn't see one, he frowned. "You didn't let him mark you?" He gasped in realization. "You didn't even lob the gob³, did you?!"
My eyes connected with Domenic's where he stood, frozen in shock, behind them. I opened my mouth, but no words came out, so I closed my mouth and swallowed. I tried again, with the same result. Seeing my struggle, he chuckled and my friends jumped. Finn's face turned red and I grinned.
"Domenic, these are my best friends." I stepped forward, placing an arm around each of them. "Finn and Maeve."
"It's a pleasure." He smiled, showing his fangs, before I saw a spark of concern enter his eyes. I met his eyes as the flicked to me and I smiled, hoping that he understood me. The fangs didn't bother me and I was sorry for making him think that they did. His smile widened and I saw the slightest hint of color appear on his cheeks.
Was this my life now? Blushes and embarrassment?
'Ugh,' Ash groaned. 'I sure hope not.'
Despite her comment, I could tell that she enjoyed his reaction as much as I did.
I had forgotten that Murielle was there until she spoke up.
"Alright, you young'uns. You're in the kitchen, so you get to help set the table."
We turned pur attention to her and began collecting dishes. As I followed the rest to the big dining hall, I noticed that, though he'd put on new clothes, Domenic was still barefoot.
'Shoes probably feel weird after years of not wearing them,' Ash suggested.
'You're probably right. Either way, it's cute.'
She hummed in agreement as we entered the dining hall.
It hadn't occurred to me that some of the alphas would be staying the night, as they lived so far away. My family usually ate breakfast in the small dining room, giving us some family time. We joined the rest of the packhouse in the big hall for dinner everyday. This morning, though, it was important that we ate with our guests and the dining room was too small for all of them.
We got everything ready, finishing just before 8 o'clock, as people starting arriving.